Kia Australia expects to sell 20,000 Tasman utes over the next 12 months, ranking it among the top five best-selling models in one of Australia’s most competitive vehicle segments.
The current ‘big three’ Down Under are the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max, which combined for 63 per cent of ute sales in 2024.
Ford topped the rankings with 62,593 annual sales, while the HiLux and D-Max attracted 53,499 and 30,194, respectively.
By projecting 20,000 Tasman deliveries between now and the middle of next year, Kia is backing its all-new ute to leapfrog mainstays including the Mitsubishi Triton, Mazda BT-50, and Nissan Navara in the local hierarchy.
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While 20,000 sales would see the Tasman rank fourth based on last year’s figures, the plug-in hybrid BYD Shark 6 is also set to pinch a top five spot this year, having racked up 10,424 sales to the end of June.
“I think in a 12-month period, we will succeed by doing 20,000 cars,” Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith told media including CarExpert at the launch of the Tasman.
“That’s the number that we have to get, and we’re based on achievement – Kia Australia is based on achievement. We won’t do anything silly to get that 20,000, but I think we’ve proven over a long period of time that when we set ourselves a goal, we do it, but we do it in a manner that’s equitable to the market.
“We’re pretty confident that we’ll do that 20,000.”
Kia will be forced to overcome a slow start caused by limited model availability – dual-cab/chassis Tasman versions go on sale this month, and single-cab/chassis variants won’t arrive until later this year.
However, Mr Meredith remains confident that strong pickup demand and growing fleet interest will push Kia towards its goal.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do on fleet, but the cab/chassis will come into play. But whatever we have in 12 months’ time, when we’re together, we’ll be announcing that we’ve sold 20,000,” said the Kia boss.
Fleet sales are set to be bolstered by the announcement of a five-star ANCAP safety rating for the Tasman, which now applies to the fleet-friendly lower-spec 4×4 dual-cab variants. Having said that, 4×2 rear-wheel drive and upcoming single-cab and dual-cab/chassis variants remain unrated due to the absence of a pedestrian protection scoop.
In Australia, the Tasman is more expensive than key rivals at the bottom of the range, with a starting price of $38,010 for the S 4×2 single-cab/chassis. However, it tops out at $77,990 drive-away for the rugged X-Pro – on par with the D-Max Blade if less than the V6 Ranger Wildtrak and HiLux GR Sport.
Despite its elevated price tag, the X-Pro is currently the best-selling Tasman variant, although that split may shift as other variants arrive in showrooms.
Just one powertrain is currently offered across the range, a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel.